Will Arnett

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A central character on Fox's offbeat comedy "Arrested Development" (Fox, 2003-06; Netflix, 2013- ), Will Arnett's eccentric George Oscar "GOB" Bluth II was an audience favorite that helped draw in cult-like devotees to the show. His portrayal of the middle-aged, aspiring magician and disliked son of a wealthy Southern California family marked Arnett's first high-profile acting role, though he had previously made a career as a voiceover artist. The show's success with the "alternative comedy" crowd set the tone for Arnett's future in quirky film projects where his clean-cut, 1950s looks made his smug villains and overconfident dimwits all the more subversively funny. He was often paired onscreen with his wife, Amy Poehler, to great comic effect, especially in the pair's roles opposite Will Ferrell and Jon Heder in the sports send-up "Blades of Glory" (2007). Arnett found further success voicing animated family hits like "Ice Age: The Meltdown" (2006)" and "Horton Hears a Who" (2008), as well as in mainstream romantic comedy features with "When in Rome" (2010). Arnett even managed the impossible - stealing scenes from comic powerhouse Alec Baldwin in his role of Devon Banks, the corporate and closeted gay competition of Jack Donaghy (Baldwin) to run General Electric on the Emmy-winning sitcom "30 Rock" (NBC, 2006-2013). Thanks to his infectious roles on "Arrested Development," "30 Rock" and "Up All Night" (NBC, 2011-12), Arnett had finally come into his own as a proven comedic commodity.Will Arnett was born on May 5, 1970, and raised in Toronto, Ontario, where he got into enough trouble that his parents sent him to an all-boys boarding school to straighten him out. Their remedy was far from successful, and after several years of getting caught drinking and smoking, the school gave up on him. Arnett went back to public school and eventually graduated. While continuing his lackluster academic efforts at several area colleges his mother encouraged the tall, handsome, but directionless teen to try acting. He auditioned for some commercials and latched onto performing right away, moving to New York City in 1990 to study acting at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Institute. And while he would eventually be known for his comic prowess, Arnett initially considered himself a dramatic actor, and, as such, began building his resume in off-Broadway dramatic plays. His first professional success came with voiceover work, his gravelly, authoritative voice proving to be a lucrative asset in demand by networks and movie trailers.Arnett appeared on the big screen in the urban drama "Southie" (1999), written and directed by his friend Dave McLaughlin. He scored a guest television appearance on HBO's "Sex and the City" (HBO, 1998-2004) and was cast as a series regular on the short-lived "The Mike O'Malley Show" (NBC, 1999). While suffering from a run of bad luck with several pilots that never panned out, his personal life began to look up when he met actress Amy Poehler, who, at that time, was known primarily on the New York sketch comedy scene as a founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. The pair began dating and just as his love life was taking off, Arnett's professional dance card began filling up as well, with steady TV appearances booked on "Boston Public," (Fox, 2000-04), "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC, 1999- ) and two episodes of "The Sopranos" (HBO, 1999-2007), where he played agent Mike Waldrup. In 2003, Arnett married Poehler - who had by now become a recognizably zany cast member of "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ). At the same time he found himself happily hitched to his soul mate, Arnett achieved a professional breakthrough when he was cast as George Michael Bluth II on Fox's irreverent, one-camera comedy, "Arrested Development."The show was a critical darling from its debut, with Arnett an especially popular draw for his portrayal of the eldest son of an eccentric, nouveau riche family who insists on becoming an